Latest news with #DTES
Global News
4 days ago
- Global News
Caribbean bistro weighs leaving ‘war zone' in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
After 15 years of navigating what he describes as a 'war zone' of illegal activity outside his doors, the owner of a popular Caribbean restaurant has almost given up on trying to run a legitimate business in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Running the gauntlet outside his restaurant to grab supplies from his commissary kitchen at the corner of Carrall and Hastings streets is an almost daily battle for Cullin David, who said he genuinely fears for his safety and that of his customers, staff, and business partners. 'My head's on a swivel,' David told Global News in an interview. 'I'm always looking over my shoulder.' 1:54 New security cameras for Vancouver's Downtown Eastside The co-owner and chef at Calabash Bistro said he's tired of dodging drug use, dealing, street disorder and violence on a block with one of the worst crime rates in the city. 'Killings, stabbings, knife fights. My business partners having to do their best to try and save a gentleman's life that they witnessed being stabbed in the chest,' said David. 'The amount of violence and just horrible things that we've witnessed is a lot for anyone just trying to run a restaurant.' When David opened Calabash Bistro in 2010, he knew he was on ground zero in the troubled neighbourhood, but said he was enticed by municipal and provincial promises of investment and improvement in the area, including greenways and tourist routes. Advertisement 'Those early days, we had a lot of optimism,' David recalled. The lease at 428 Carrall Street came with a cabaret licence allowing the restaurant to operate as a dance hall until 2:00 a.m., and David and his partners were eager to celebrate the Caribbean spirit and culture through food, live music and dancing. Over the years, he said Calabash became known for open mic nights and as a space to showcase independent artists and young people starting out. 0:39 Task Force Barrage sees dip in DTES crime, Vancouver police say 'We used to have lineups for dinner,' said David. 'We used to have lineups for dancing after.' But he said the neighbourhood never improved. 'It's kind of just steadily gotten worse and worse,' David said. Calabash was one of the first restaurants to launch a composting program, but David said its bin was taken away due to all the needles being thrown into it. More and more nearby businesses have shuttered, he said, and more and more human excrement is appearing on the sidewalk. While he's grateful there has been some recent movement on crime and crime prevention with the VPD's Task Force Barrage targeting organized criminals and violent offenders since Feb. 13, David says Carrall Street near Hastings continues to deteriorate. 'The risk to myself, my partner, and our employees has increased significantly, especially at night,' said David, who noted his staff were involved in a very close call this past weekend. At 1:40 a.m. Sunday, David said his cooks were moving items to the commissary space at the corner of Carrall and Hastings. When drug dealers on the block spotted police on patrol nearby, David said they attempted to stash 'something' inside Calabash's commissary. When his cooks stopped them and told them they needed to leave, David said the dealers became aggressive and began fighting his staff. Calabash's co-owner, Yonathan Hernandez, arrived, said David, and managed to corral the cooks in the commissary while he was left to face approximately 10 hostile individuals alone on the street. Yelling, pushing, and shoving ensued, according to David, and Hernandez saw one dealer place his hand on a gun in his waistband before another dealer from the 'day shift' saw what was happening and stepped in to defuse the situation. 0:48 Police officer set on fire in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside The incident, David said, began due to a police presence, but when things escalated, no one intervened. As a society, he said, we've all allowed the chaos outside his doors to thrive. 'The business of poverty is big,' David told Global News. 'There (are) a lot of people that make money from what's going on down here.' David said he would like to see a government approach that brings positive change for people struggling with mental illness and addictions. 'There needs to be some sort of holistic end game,' he said in an interview. 'Something that is actually helping people.' While David said the people outside his business are allowed to smoke drugs, drink alcohol, and listen to loud music at all hours, Calabash is fighting to survive. Over the years, adjustments were made to the wording of licences and David said the bistro's shifted from 'cabaret' to 'food primary with patron participation entertainment,' permitting live music and dancing until midnight. Still, he said, Calabash continued to operate as it always did with live music and dancing up to 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. until recently. Advertisement Late last year, David said the province started enforcing the rules to ensure DJs and dancing stop at midnight. 'We were kind of shocked to have inspectors come in and say, 'Well, nope, you can't do this and you can't do that and if we have to come back, you're going to be fined upwards of seven grand,'' David told Global News. 2:01 Long time DTES resident supports mayor's plan to clean up the area Before the provincial inspection, David said Calabash never had any issues or received any complaints. 'If we stop dancing and music at midnight, we'd be closed,' he said. 'That last two hours of business is one of the things that kind of put us over the top.' David and his partners recently took out a $15,000 loan and applied for a dual food and liquor primary licence, which would allow the restaurant to operate as a bar or nightclub, provided they have different hours of liquor-only service. But there's no guarantee Calabash will be approved. '$15,000 later, not only are we faced with the prospect of being denied the licence, we probably won't have any customers willing to walk through a war zone just to visit us,' said David. 'We're damned if we do, were damned if we don't.' In a statement, B.C.'s Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said inspectors from the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) have issued three warnings to Calabash Bistro over the past six months, involving alleged contraventions 'of operating contrary to licence purpose and permitting entertainment past approved hours.' No fine has been issued, and the LCRB confirms it has received applications for two changes to Calabash's licence and is working with the restaurant owner to process the application as expeditiously as possible. When asked if the province could give Calabash a break from any potential enforcement while the dual licence process occurs, the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General did not directly answer. 'In the meantime, the licensee must follow the rules of his licence, as outlined in the compliance meetings that have been held with the owner,' the statement read. Catering is the only thing keeping Calabash alive, said David, who had hoped to stay in the Downtown Eastside as a hub for the Black, Latin, and Caribbean communities. 'At the same time now, I'm weighing on if I can, if we can stay open, or save ourselves.' For the last two weeks, David said he's been trying to find some sort of positive light at the end of the tunnel, hoping he won't have to become a statistic before change occurs. 'That little light is dwindling, it's almost out,' he said. 'My mental health can't really take much more of having to come down and battle through everything just to open the door.'
Hamilton Spectator
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Eby terminates Downtown Eastside consultancy contract that came under fire
British Columbia Premier David Eby has terminated a consultancy contract to improve conditions in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside that came under fire from critics, who called it a political favour that lacked transparency. Eby's office said in a statement on Tuesday that the debate about Michael Bryant's contract had become a distraction from work to improve the neighbourhood. It said the contract with the consulting company owned by Bryant — a former CEO of Legal Aid BC and Ontario attorney general — ended on Sunday, and Eby later clarified that it was his decision. 'We have a shared dedication towards improving conditions in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and thank him for his work to this point,' the statement said. 'However, debate and discussion around this time-limited contract is distracting from the important work underway.' The statement said the government remained committed to making life better for people who live in the neighbourhood. In a news briefing in Vancouver, Eby said Bryant would receive no severance and he had been paid up to Sunday, an amount in the neighbourhood of $75,000. He said he did not know the circumstances behind the end Bryant's role at Legal Aid BC, which the Opposition B.C. Conservatives have said 'ended abruptly' last year. Eby said his relationship with Bryant began in his Legal Aid BC role, when Eby was attorney general. The Conservatives have attacked Bryant's contract, saying no reporting benchmarks have been disclosed or met. The contract instructing Bryant to develop a 'framework' for co-ordinating services in the neighbourhood was worth up to $325,000, including $25,000 in expenses. Opposition Leader John Rustad said the government had hired Bryant without announcing the contract first, then got rid off him after being caught 'red-handed.' Rustad said the situation showed the 'arrogance of David Eby, thinking that he could just hire anybody he wants, friends, relatives, and get away with it.' He said the hiring and firing of Bryant showed a 'pattern of disrespect' to the public from a government acting without transparency. Rustad said Bryant would not have made any 'difference one way or another' to the problems of the Downtown Eastside. Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Shelia Malcolmson has blamed a 'communication problem' between her ministry and the Premier's Office for not having announced Bryant's appointment earlier. Opposition MLA Trevor Halford said last week of Bryant's contract that there were 'no public deliverables, no transparency, and no justification for why this appointment wasn't disclosed.' The contract with Bryant's company, the Humilitas Group, is dated February 12. It says the company is to engage with government and non-government sectors to align Downtown Eastside services with provincial policy objectives. It also says the company is to support development and implementation of 'operational frameworks to address systemic challenges in the DTES.' The contract says the government wishes for a framework to support improvements for the people, public spaces, infrastructure, health care and housing of the DTES. But it says 'the parties acknowledge that the contractor does not warrant that these outcomes will be achieved.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
Global News
17-05-2025
- Global News
‘Ashtrey Alley': Push to rename Vancouver's 1st legal graffiti wall after DTES advocate
A motion to rename the city of Vancouver's first legal graffiti wall in honour of Downtown Eastside (DTES) advocate and artist Trey Helten will be considered by council at the Standing Committee meeting on May 21. Helten, who spearheaded council's May 2021 approval of the city's inaugural painting wall in the back lane of 133 West Pender Street, died suddenly on April 22 at the age of 42. In his motion titled 'Honouring Trey Helten: Renaming 'Ashtrey Alley'', COPE Coun. Sean Orr said DTES community members are already informally calling the alley between Hastings and Pender which connects Cambie and Abbott Street 'Ashtrey Alley' in memory of Helten, whose nickname was 'Ashtrey'. 'Trey Helten was a beloved harm reduction advocate in the Downtown Eastside who was known for his tireless work to help others, fight stigma against drug users, and who saved hundreds of lives,' reads Orr's motion. Story continues below advertisement Helten, who battled addiction before spending several years in recovery, is credited with saving hundreds of lives during his time managing the Overdose Prevention Society (OPS). Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy As an artist, Helten used his gift of graffiti to build bridges with Chinatown and memorialize those who lost their lives to toxic drugs. 1:53 Popular artist dedicates mural to senior attacked in DTES In collaboration with his art partner, street artist Jamie Hardy, a.k.a 'Smokey Devil', Helten painted several murals to help beautify Chinatown, and honour individuals who disappeared, were murdered or died in the DTES. Orr noted that graffiti walls support artistic expression and provide a sanctioned location for street artists to potentially foster a culture that discourages disrespectful or nuisance graffiti. 'As dedicated spaces, they can also serve as a place for street artists to meet, build community, and can provide opportunities for mentorship,' states Orr's motion. Story continues below advertisement If approved, Orr's motion would direct staff to report back on the most expeditious way to name the sanctioned graffiti alley 'Ashtrey Alley' in memory of Helten and his contributions to the community. Hardy was one of the first street artists to break ground in the West Pender Street alley when it officially opened in August 2022.
RTÉ News
16-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Disabled motorist loses discrimination claim over delay at toll bridge
A disabled driver who made a statutory complaint over being held up for less than two minutes when a toll bridge camera misread his car's number plate has lost his discrimination claim. The Workplace Relations Commission has rejected a claim under the Equal Status Act 2000 against North Link M1 Ltd, the operator of the tolled section of the M1 motorway in counties Meath and Louth. The claimant, David Tyrell, is a beneficiary of the Disability Toll Exemption Scheme (DTES), which allows adapted vehicles for disabled drivers use toll roads for free, the WRC heard last month. On 2 October 2024, Mr Tyrell arrived to a toll plaza on the M1 motorway in his car and proceeded into an unmanned lane. His car's registration "appeared on the screen", but the barrier did not open, he said in evidence to the WRC. When he pressed a call button to get help, a control room operator asked him for the registration number "even though she should have been able to read [it] on the screen", he told the tribunal. The operator told him the number he gave was incorrect, but then proceeded to read out the correct number for his car," he said. His evidence was that he told the worker: "If you know my number, why are you asking for it?" Her response was: "Don't be so smart, and you shouldn't be in this lane anyway," he said. He went on his way when the barrier was lifted, the WRC heard. The control room operator on the day, Louise McMullen, said she greeted Mr Tyrell as normal and asked him if he had paid because she "did not know he was exempt". Her evidence was that she could only see the registration number on a screen rather than "a visual of any car" and could not see his DTES disc. When the issue arose, she "realised there had to be a digit missing" from the registration number captured on the system, and that was why she asked him to call out the number and proceeded to search the plate number on the Motor Tax system. Ms McMullen said this took a minute to do. In all, Mr Tyrell and his passenger waited "1.47 minutes" at the barrier before it was lifted, the tribunal heard. She said Mr Tyrell "seemed annoyed" with her, but denied telling him: "Don't be smart." She said her supervisor was right beside her and she would "never say such a thing anyway". She acknowledged that she did tell him: "If you use the operator lanes in the future, it'll be quicker." Mr Tyrell's position was that he "should be allowed to use unmanned toll lanes just as non-disabled drivers do". He also contended that he should not have had to speak with the worker about his status as a beneficiary of the toll exemption scheme as it meant disclosing his disability to his passenger, he said. He added that the way the worker spoke to him, treated him and delayed him were also discriminatory. Sinead Morgan of DAC Beachcroft, appearing for the toll operator, submitted that the DTES guidelines advised pass-holders to use a manned lane so that if a registration plat was misread by the system, "a staff member can quickly see a DTES disc and lift the barrier without any questions being asked". Mr Tyrell accepted under cross-examination that he had not read the DTES guidelines. Adjudicator Emile Daly accepted Mr Tyrell "did not know all this" in regard to how the system worked and that that he believed discrimination was at play when he took his claim. "Had he read the DTES guidelines, he would have learned that using a manned toll lane was for his benefit, not to his detriment," she added. She wrote that she was satisfied "no prohibited conduct took place" and rejected Mr Tyrell's Equal Status Act complaint.
Global News
14-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Opposition, Vancouver mayor raise questions about new Downtown Eastside consultant
The province's appointment of a special consultant to advise on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside has prompted backlash from the Official Opposition and questions from the city's mayor. As Global News first reported Monday, the province has retained former Ontario cabinet minister Michael Bryant on a six-month contract worth $150,000 plus expenses to review Downtown Eastside (DTES) programs and future policy. Bryant left his role as the CEO of Legal Aid B.C. last year and previously spent a decade in Ontario politics. During question period at the B.C. legislature, the Conservatives demanded to know why the money was being spent, and why the province made no public announcement about the appointment — despite Bryant's contract starting in February. 2:48 NDP government appoints consultant to premier on Downtown Eastside 'It doesn't make a lot of sense — the fact is this is a $150,000 contract for six months of work that we are just finding out about because the news is reporting on it,' South Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford told Global News after a fiery exchange in the house. Story continues below advertisement BC Conservative Leader John Rustad said the appointment suggested the NDP was out of ideas on how to tackle problems in the DTES. 'They thought they had all the answers — we have seen the situation continually worsen, whether it's mental health, whether it's addictions, whether it's crime of very serious natures, there are so many things going wrong,' he said. 'So for them to have a consultant that's going to come and say, what we ran on in the election does that make sense — what are these guys doing? They had eight years. We know what the problems are.' Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Sheila Malcolmson, whose Social Development and Poverty Reduction ministry Bryant is contracted to, couldn't answer exactly who in the government had hired Bryant. She did, however, take responsibility for the appointment not being publicized. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Honestly, a communication problem between me and the Premier's Office that it didn't get announced earlier,' she said. 'But his work has been very public as far as the people he is working with in the DTES.' 1:55 Vancouver seeks input into DTES housing changes Malcolmson said he was contracted to provide an 'outside view' on systemic challenges in the neighbourhood and whether existing programs are 'speaking well with each other.' Story continues below advertisement 'His legal background, his working in the civil liberties association, his political work as a minister of multiple files, and I would say what a lot of us are thinking about is his own personal struggles with addiction, his own recovery journey, brings a very different perspective from what we have around the cabinet table,' she said. In 2009, Bryant was charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death after an incident that left Toronto bike courier Darcy Sheppard with a fatal head injury, but was never prosecuted after the charges were withdrawn. He later wrote a book about the experience and his own battle with alcoholism. 34:55 Outgoing Vancouver police chief Adam Palmer on safety in the city In a Monday interview, Bryant said he had met with officials in the ministries of health, housing, public safety, social development and Dr. Daniel Vigo, B.C.'s chief scientific adviser on toxic drugs and psychiatry, along with 'over 100 people in the Downtown Eastside with lived experience.' Story continues below advertisement Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim told Global News on Tuesday that the city had been informed of Bryant's appointment after the fact, but had not been consulted. 'If you want to solve a problem in the Downtown Eastside, I think it would be really helpful if you consulted with, and I mean this in the most respectful way, the biggest stakeholder,' Sim said. 'We have Vancouver Fire and Rescue, the Vancouver Police Department, our engineering crews, arts, culture and community services, the businesses down there, the list goes on and on.' He said he has not spoken personally with Bryant and that he wasn't aware of 'very many meaningful conversations' the consultant has had with the city. He said Vancouver has been clear about its priorities for the beleaguered neighbourhood, including fixing the housing stock, cracking down on crime and involuntary treatment for people with serious mental health and addiction problems. 0:48 Police officer set on fire in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside 'The province said they were going to take over the Downtown Eastside and make it better,' Sim said. Story continues below advertisement 'We're all for that. We're excited about it, and we are a very willing and able partner. Absolutely we want to have conversations.' Tslei-Waututh First Nation elected chief Jen Thomas, meanwhile, said she'd spoken with Bryant but that they hadn't been able to coordinate a time to meet. Thomas said she feared the focus on Bryant's appointment risked overshadowing the goal of improving conditions in the Downtown Eastside. 'What concerns me is that people focus on the salary, when we should all be focused on improving the Downtown Eastside — that's the goal,' she said. 'If people are really concerned about the DTES we all need to work together, not criticize and put people down.' Thomas said improving lives in the Downtown Eastside will require looking beyond surface-level issues like homelessness and addiction and at the underlying problems — like Indigenous youth who have aged out of care and end up in the neighbourhood because they have no connections to their familial communities. 'If he really listens to the Indigenous people, which I hope he will, I think we can get somewhere,' she said. 'Lets treat them like humans and find out what is going on in their lives and how to improve their lives.' Story continues below advertisement Bryant is contracted to provide a report for the province by late summer. — with files from Rumina Daya
